Australia’s creative and purpose frontier | Partner Content

In a monthly column called Independents' Day, Earned First is partnering with PROI to explore how independent PR firms are navigating industry disruption while preserving their competitive edge.

In our fourth instalment, we speak with Joanne Painter, managing director and co-founder of Icon Agency, whose team has helped deliver Australia’s presence at Expos Dubai and Osaka while building one of the country’s most awarded creative offerings. Painter reflects on the realities of multi-stakeholder global campaigns, how purpose becomes a creative discipline rather than a slogan, the disruptive force of AI on agency models, and why independent networks like PROI matter more than ever for ambitious work.

1. Icon’s work for Osaka 2025 has been widely noted. What lessons did you take from a global-scale, multi-stakeholder communications effort?

Leading global PR and communications for the Australia Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka was a deeply rewarding experience – the kind of project that tests and strengthens every part of an agency’s capability. 

This was our second Expo (ICON also worked with DFAT at Expo 2020 Dubai) so we were prepared for the sheer pace, scale and complexity of the task. 

As with Dubai, we were fortunate to have an outstanding local PR partner, in this case leading Japanese independent agency Sunny Side Up. When working transnationally, it's essential that your local partner is entirely aligned both culturally, professionally and operationally. With Expo Osaka, the cultural and language differences, compounded by distance and a relentlessly fast-moving agenda, made collaboration essential. 

The two keys to success (and critical lessons) when managing communications for a global-scale event with multiple stakeholders are empathy and trust. Our clients on the DFAT Osaka Taskforce were smart, pragmatic, collaborative and trusting. Their very human approach quickly built a cohesive and united team – one where problems were solved creatively and proactively.  

Moreover, when everyone rallies around a clear story and mutual respect, even the most intricate ecosystem can perform as one. The results speak for themselves: a unified national narrative, seamless international cooperation, and a creative partnership that set a new benchmark for what Australian agencies can achieve on the global stage.

2. You’ve built one of Australia’s most awarded creative teams within an independent agency model. What systems or philosophies made that possible?

One of the biggest challenges for independent PR agencies is attracting strong creative talent that instinctively understands the earned creative model. 

While there is no shortage of strong creative minds in Australia, many still aspire to work in a traditional advertising agency. We set out to bust this model, showcasing our distinct earned creativity model through winning major awards and targeting industry media to encourage creatives to think differently about our industry being a creative industry. 

Wrapping around this is a focus on crafting purpose-led work that matters – a philosophy that the big network advertising agencies struggle with due to their client profiles. Today, we have two incredible creatives, Alex Wadelton and Kenneth Parris, who joined us because of our earned-first creative model and who remained because the work we do has real purpose. 

3. Many agencies talk about purpose, but few integrate it meaningfully. How do you ensure it translates into creative excellence rather than rhetoric?

Yes it’s amusing to see agencies who claim to be purpose-led working for fossil fuel companies and junk food brands. Hard to see the purpose in killing our climate and contributing to the obesity epidemic. 

At ICON, we don’t really focus on purpose per se; we focus on making work with impact. Our north star is ‘Make What Matters’ – a philosophy that shapes the types of clients we choose to work with and our PR practice.

I am also a big believer that when teams deeply believe in the client, when they share the client’s vision and values, they go the extra mile to find the special magic that differentiates good creative from great.  

4. Are you optimistic or cautious about AI’s influence on creative work – and how is Icon experimenting with it?

Big tech AI isn’t knocking politely at the office door. It’s kicking it in, rummaging through your data, and rewriting your business model while your staff are still updating their LinkedIn profile.

There’s an old adage that says, “During a crisis, look for and move towards the helpers.” At ICON, we’re walking toward the storm. Like many, we’re formalising our AI strategy, tools and processes across communications, creative, digital, and finance. We’re training our people to work with AI, not against it. We’re integrating generative tools into workflows with expert human oversight, strategic interpretation, and a clear ethical framework.

AI isn’t replacing what we do. It’s amplifying how we do it. The goal is sharper thinking, faster delivery, and smarter value for clients. Front of mind is protecting jobs by ensuring our team is enabled and encouraged to learn.

The key is showing clients where the value lies: subject matter experts driving expert AIs. And we’re doing that at speed with a full AI tech stack and bespoke solutions that we’re confident will rewrite the PR model in Australia.

5. As the industry becomes more interdisciplinary, what’s the next evolution for agency leadership and team structure?

PR’s evolution to a more interdisciplinary model goes hand-in-hand with AI. In fact, AI is accelerating it. AI isn’t just impacting the top or the bottom of the workforce – it’s hollowing out the middle. The competent. The professionals. Those with billable hours. Writers, designers, editors, coders, strategists – the backbone of the integrated agency – are watching their roles dissolve in real time.

As more and more repeatable tasks become automated, there will be greater focus on the leadership’s ability to drive and shape technological transformation through the business, along with increased reliance on subject matter experts and advisory. 

Increasingly, our roles will be akin to conductors - overseeing hybrid human-AI solutions where AI tools allow agencies to work smarter and become more data driven. 

6. How has PROI membership influenced your creative or strategic thinking, if at all?

When we joined PROI Worldwide seven years ago it was principally to gain access to partners in international markets and in Asia-Pac, part of ICON’s strategic growth initiatives.  What we hadn’t anticipated was the depth of relationships, knowledge share, trust and inspiration you gain from working with like-minded entrepreneurial agency owners, all with similar yet different experiences. 

Creatively and strategically, it has opened our thinking and given us an opportunity to understand how different markets and owner-run businesses approach the same challenges. These sorts of cross-cultural insights are priceless, and it has enriched our thinking and output. We would recommend an independent network to all agencies.